The contractor dismantling Vermont Yankee says the former nuclear plant is 99% decommissioned, with $8.5 million remaining in a trust fund that held $602 million when NorthStar took control of the site. The company expects to finish its remaining physical work in 2027, according to a Wednesday report from VTDigger.

That schedule would put the work about three years ahead of NorthStar’s binding 2030 deadline. Vermont’s environment agency says the 2018 settlement governing the transfer required decommissioning and cleanup to begin in 2019 and be completed by 2030 or earlier. When Entergy proposed the sale, it said the accelerated plan would move completion decades ahead of the company’s earlier 2075 estimate, as described in its 2016 announcement.

The transfer made NorthStar responsible for the federal license, decommissioning obligations and management of the trust. Entergy’s proposal said the specialist contractor would begin promptly after regulatory approval, while Vermont’s settlement established state oversight and a firm schedule. That structure explains why the remaining balance matters: the trust finances radiological dismantlement, and the deadline formed part of the framework that allowed ownership to change.

The 99% figure is NorthStar’s estimate of construction and demolition progress, not a federal declaration that the property is ready for unrestricted use. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission explains that decommissioning ends only after radioactive material is removed to permitted levels and the agency terminates the plant’s license. The NRC’s process overview also requires site surveys and federal review before land can be released.

VTDigger reported that NorthStar expects the NRC review to take another couple of years after field work ends. That distinction matters for Windham County: visible demolition can be essentially complete while the legal and regulatory process continues. A separate site-restoration fund is available for conventional cleanup, according to the report, reducing the pressure on the nearly spent nuclear decommissioning trust.

The current timeline is close to, though somewhat later than, NorthStar’s earlier public forecast. In 2023, company officials said demolition was ahead of schedule and projected a 2026 finish, WAMC reported. The shift to 2027 does not breach the state agreement, but it provides a clearer benchmark for the last phase of work.

Vermont Yankee ceased generating power in 2014 after more than four decades of operation. The plant’s closure left the state and local officials balancing radiological cleanup, future land use and the loss of a major employer and tax base. NorthStar maintains a project site with updates and public records, while Vermont regulators continue independent oversight under the settlement.

For residents, the next meaningful milestones are completion of the remaining physical work, submission and review of final radiological surveys, and a federal decision on license termination. Until those steps are complete, “99%” describes progress toward the finish line rather than the finish itself.